Person:
Casals Carro, María Cristina

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First Name
María Cristina
Last Name
Casals Carro
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Ciencias Químicas
Department
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular
Area
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular
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Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Item
    Surfactant Protein A Prevents IFN-γ/IFN-γ Receptor Interaction and Attenuates Classical Activation of Human Alveolar Macrophages
    (Journal of Immunology, 2016) Minutti, Carlos; García-Fojeda García-Valdecasas, María Belén; Sáenz, Alejandra ; Casas-Engel, Mateo de las ; Guillamat-Prats, Raquel ; Lorenzo, Alba de ; Serrano-Mollar, Anna ; Corbí, Ängel; Casals Carro, María Cristina
    Lung surfactant protein A (SP-A) plays an important function in modulating inflammation in the lung. However, the exact role of SP-A and the mechanism by which SP-A affects IFN-γ–induced activation of alveolar macrophages (aMϕs) remains unknown. To address these questions, we studied the effect of human SP-A on rat and human aMϕs stimulated with IFN-γ, LPS, and combinations thereof and measured the induction of proinflammatory mediators as well as SP-A’s ability to bind to IFN-γ or IFN-γR1. We found that SP-A inhibited (IFN-γ + LPS)–induced TNF-α, iNOS, and CXCL10 production by rat aMϕs. When rat macrophages were stimulated with LPS and IFN-γ separately, SP-A inhibited both LPS-induced signaling and IFN-γ–elicited STAT1 phosphorylation. SP-A also decreased TNF-α and CXCL10 secretion by ex vivo–cultured human aMϕs and M-CSF–derived macrophages stimulated by either LPS or IFN-γ or both. Hence, SP-A inhibited upregulation of IFN-γ–inducible genes (CXCL10, RARRES3, and ETV7) as well as STAT1 phosphorylation in human M-CSF–derived macrophages. In addition, we found that SP-A bound to human IFN-γ (KD = 11 ± 0.5 nM) in a Ca2+-dependent manner and prevented IFN-γ interaction with IFN-γR1 on human aMϕs. We conclude that SP-A inhibition of (IFN-γ + LPS) stimulation is due to SP-A attenuation of both inflammatory agents and that the binding of SP-A to IFN-γ abrogates IFN-γ effects on human macrophages, suppressing their classical activation and subsequent inflammatory response.
  • Item
    Airway allergy causes alveolar macrophage death, profound alveolar disorganization and surfactant dysfunction
    (Frontiers in Immunology, 2023) Feo-Lucas, Lidia; Godio, Cristina; Minguito de la Escalera, María ; Alvarez-Ladrón, Natalia ; Villarrubia, Laura; Vega-Pérez, Adrián ; González-Cintado, Leticia ; Domínguez-Andrés, Jorge; García-Fojeda García-Valdecasas, María Belén; Montero Fernández, Carlos; Casals Carro, María Cristina; Autilio, Chiara; Pérez Gil, Jesús; Crainiciuc, Georgiana ; Hidalgo, Andrés ; López-Bravo, María ; Fernández-Ardavín Castro, Carlos
    Respiratory disorders caused by allergy have been associated to bronchiolar inflammation leading to life-threatening airway narrowing. However, whether airway allergy causes alveolar dysfunction contributing to the pathology of allergic asthma remains unaddressed. To explore whether airway allergy causes alveolar dysfunction that might contribute to the pathology of allergic asthma, alveolar structural and functional alterations were analyzed during house dust mite (HDM)-induced airway allergy in mice, by flow cytometry, light and electron microscopy, monocyte transfer experiments, assessment of intra-alveolarly-located cells, analysis of alveolar macrophage regeneration in Cx3cr1cre:R26-yfp chimeras, analysis of surfactant-associated proteins, and study of lung surfactant biophysical properties by captive bubble surfactometry. Our results demonstrate that HDM-induced airway allergic reactions caused severe alveolar dysfunction, leading to alveolar macrophage death, pneumocyte hypertrophy and surfactant dysfunction. SP-B/C proteins were reduced in allergic lung surfactant, that displayed a reduced efficiency to form surface-active films, increasing the risk of atelectasis. Original alveolar macrophages were replaced by monocyte-derived alveolar macrophages, that persisted at least two months after the resolution of allergy. Monocyte to alveolar macrophage transition occurred through an intermediate stage of pre-alveolar macrophage and was paralleled with translocation into the alveolar space, Siglec-F upregulation, and downregulation of CX3CR1. These data support that the severe respiratory disorders caused by asthmatic reactions not only result from bronchiolar inflammation, but additionally from alveolar dysfunction compromising an efficient gas exchange.
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    Local amplifiers of IL-4Rα–mediated macrophage activation promote repair in lung and liver
    (Science, 2017) Minutti, Carlos; Jackson-Jones, Lucy; García-Fojeda García-Valdecasas, María Belén; Knipper, Johanna ; Sutherland, Tara; Logan, Nicola; Ringqvist, Emma; Guillamat-Prats, Raquel; Ferenbach, David; Artigas, Antonio; Stamme, Cordula ; Chroneos, Zissis ; Zaiss, Dietmar ; Casals Carro, María Cristina; Allen, Judith
    The type 2 immune response controls helminth infection and maintains tissue homeostasis but can lead to allergy and fibrosis if not adequately regulated. We have discovered local tissue-specific amplifiers of type 2-mediated macrophage activation. In the lung, surfactant protein A (SP-A) enhanced interleukin-4 (IL-4)-dependent macrophage proliferation and activation, accelerating parasite clearance and reducing pulmonary injury after infection with a lung-migrating helminth. In the peritoneal cavity and liver, C1q enhancement of type 2 macrophage activation was required for liver repair after bacterial infection, but resulted in fibrosis after peritoneal dialysis. IL-4 drives production of these structurally related defense collagens, SP-A and C1q, and the expression of their receptor, myosin 18A. These findings reveal the existence within different tissues of an amplification system needed for local type 2 responses.